Louis C.K. arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Feb. 28, 2016.Evan Agostini
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Judge rejects defence bid to dismiss charges in Ontario gas-plants trial
An Ontario court judge said Thursday there is evidence two senior staffers in former premier Dalton McGuinty's office "fraudulently" obtained access to computer hard drives in the premier's office and attempted to destroy data. Defence lawyers had sought a direct verdict of an acquittal on mischief and unauthorized use of a computer in connection with the wiping of 20 hard drives during a growing scandal over cancelled gas plants.
Louis C.K. accused of sexual misconduct by five women
After years of unsubstantiated rumours about comedian Louis C.K. masturbating in front of associates, women are coming forward to describe what they experienced. The premiere of Mr. C.K.'s controversial new film I Love You, Daddy has been cancelled and his scheduled Friday appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has been scrapped. The allegations against Mr. C.K. come after Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's ouster. We've been tracking the wave of public figures across industries who have been accused of sexual misconduct since. You can read the full list here.
Expanded parental leave, new caregiver benefit to come into effect Dec. 3
New mothers and fathers who begin their parental leave on or after Dec. 3 will be able to spread out their federal benefits of employment insurance over 18 months. However, the actual value of employment insurance benefits won't increase. The Liberals are sticking to their 2015 campaign promise, meaning new parents can spread 12 months' worth of benefits over 18. The new rules are likely to spur calls for provincial changes to allow the other 92 per cent of Canadian workers access to similar leave.
For two families of soldiers who died by suicide, the battle for recognition is over
After working in the army for two decades and deploying to Bosnia and Afghanistan, Corporal John Unrau was in chronic pain and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He ended his life on Canada Day in 2015. On Oct. 26, the Canadian Armed Forces recognized his suicide was connected to military service and presented Memorial Cross medals to his family.
More than 70 Canadian soldiers who served in the Afghanistan operation later took their lives, a continuing Globe investigation revealed. But only eight of their families had been awarded the Memorial Cross and Sacrifice Medal. After The Globe's inquiries into 31 stories of fallen soldiers, the Forces began a review. Now 15 families have been given the recognition, 12 more are expected to receive the honours and four cases are under review.
Fight with CRA over offshore subsidiary could cost Loblaw $350-million
A Loblaw Cos. Ltd. affiliate is fighting the Canada Revenue Agency over taxes on the earnings of a Barbadian subsidiary, in a battle that could cost the grocer more than $350-million. In the early 1990s, Loblaw set up a company in Barbados that was licensed as an offshore bank. Loblaw dissolved the bank in 2013, to help fund its takeover of Shoppers Drug Mart, but by then the CRA had begun asking hard questions about the taxes Loblaw was paying on the bank's earnings. (for subscribers)
Bob Rae to urge Trudeau to maintain support for Rohingya
The Canadian government's special envoy in Myanmar, Bob Rae, said Canadian aid money could help provide education to Rohingya children, who make up the "majority" of the 600,000 who have fled to Bangladesh in recent months. Canada has pledged more than $25-million in humanitarian assistance. Mr. Rae will brief Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh Friday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit in Da Nang, Vietnam.
MARKET WATCH
Canada's main stock index edged lower for a second straight day as materials and financial shares lost ground and worries about the prospects of U.S. tax reform weighed on Wall Street. The TSX unofficially closed down 23.26 points, or 0.14 per cent, at 16,082.09. Six of the index's 10 main groups ended lower. TransCanada Corp was among the most influential losers on the index, falling 0.3 per cent to $61.75 despite reporting revenue that topped estimates. Oil and gas companies overall were more positive, however, with the energy group edging up 0.1 per cent. U.S. stocks also took a tumble, with losses widening after the Senate revealed that its tax plan would delay cuts to the corporate rate until 2019.
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WHAT'S TRENDING
A group of four McMaster University students has won a $50,000 prize to develop their idea for a handheld device that detects skin cancer. The inventors and recent grads in electrical biomedical engineering say the non-invasive device can diagnose melanoma by monitoring the heat emissions of various cells.
TALKING POINTS
American mass shootings: We don't have to watch
"To be honest, my capacity for shock has become numbed, just one reason I've come to believe that Canadian media should not cover American mass shootings as major news events. The other is that I've realized that they're not major news events, really. When the trophy for the largest mass shooting in the country's history is being passed around so rapidly, it's time to accept that these occurrences aren't particularly special. They're sadly just another drop in the global bucket of violence." – Denise Balkissoon
Not all athletes can carry themselves as well as Roy Halladay. But they should try
"Being a good player on a consistently mediocre team? Not as much fun. The fans resent the club, the players resent the fans, and eventually they begin to resent each other. If the alphas on the roster lose the plot, the room goes feral. Then it's a spiral into chaos. For eight long and occasionally miserable seasons, as the good vibes of back-to-back titles became ancient history and Torontonians drifted from baseball, Halladay would not allow that to happen." – Cathal Kelly
Did the populism wave in the U.S. just turn blue?
"While many of their advances, as polling expert Nate Silver contends, were predictable, it was still a banner day for the Democrats. If the results didn't portend that populism is on the wane, that "a blue wave is building," as Maryland party chair Kathleen Matthews gloated, the wins unburdened the Democrats of the tag of being "a party in disarray." – Lawrence Martin
LIVING BETTER
Scientists have discovered that wounds such as cuts and burns sustained during the day heal around 60 per cent faster than those sustained at night. The research shows for the first time how our internal body clocks regulate healing by skin cells. The skin cells move more rapidly to repair the wound and there was also more collagen – the main structural protein in skin – deposited around the wound site. The findings have implications for surgery and wound-healing medicines.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Big dreams: At 38 and close to 7 feet, 'old man' Dan leaps back to basketball at Algonquin College
Dan Stoddard, who stands 6-feet 8-inches tall, is an out-of-shape, 38-year-old bus driver in the Ottawa area who is finally living a lost dream from his youth. Mr. Stoddard dreamed of playing professionally in the 1990s, but lost his place on his school team due to failing grades. He then married early, becoming a parent at 20 with serious responsibilities and no time for basketball. Now, some 20 years later, he's back in the classroom studying accounting and on the court making sure he has no regrets. His daughter even started an Instagram fan club and attends home games holding a sign saying "Go #oldmandan GO!"
Inside the fight to label sugary, salty and fatty foods in Canada
More than one-fifth of Canadians are obese and diet-related chronic illness are estimated to cost the country up to $7.1-billion each year. So when Ottawa announced last year it would label foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat, it drew praise. But when experts, including those from government, health groups and the food industry came together to come up with a design, they couldn't agree. The government is in favour of a simple design, modelled after a "stop" or "yield" sign, but the food and drink industry reps aren't having it. The Globe's national food reporter Anne Hui breaks down the fight over food labels.
Evening Update is written by Jordan Chittley and Kiran Rana. If you'd like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.